Shining Sikhs

The blog to celebrate the lives of some of the most extraordinary Sikhs around. These Sikhs are not only from the present, but also from the past too. Week by week we will build a portfolio of some high profilic sevadars of our great Sikh panth. This blog aims to inspire and show the world just how great Sikhi can make us...

Friday, December 28, 2007

Suggestions?

We are also looking for more GurSikhs who have been an inspiration to the religion so we can inspire others on how to be good role models. We have also been contacted by television stations asking us to provide them with good Sikhs to help in discussion shows and more. So if you know of somebody, then please let us know so we can feature them here and spread a positive vibe amongst the youth. It doesnt matter whether you are from Wolverhampton or Washington, we want to know :)

I know its over a year late, but something has been missing from our blog for a while and i finally realised what ... or who, it was. The three Singhs above, Harvinder Singh, Tajinder Singh and Satvir Singh were from Wolverhampton and tragically drowned in Ullswater in September last year.

To be honest, we didnt know any of them personally, despite bumping into Harvinder Singh (the youngest) when we had a bike ride. He was a really happy-type Singh who was very popular amongst the other youth around. He was also the youngest nephew of Jago Wale jatha who sing in the Shaheedi Immortal albums. He was also the cousin of Bhai Amanpreet Singh from Wolverhampton, as featured previously, and we know that Harvinder used to occasionally design some things for EktaOne (now SikhRoots).

What really does touch me is that my nephew showed me his msn and he has a lot of youth on his list - and i was amazed to see that even over a year on, everyone had "H.S.T." in their screen names, which is the initials of the three boys. They truly have become a legacy and put me in my place. Normally when someone dies, even in a tragedy, they are remembered for about 4-5 months, but here we are in the second year of their death and they are still being remembered for all things good. Truly touching and truly inspiring. May their legends live on.

Apologies to all as we have been very busy with our new addition to the family recently.

But would like to congratulate Bhai Amanpreet Singh on the launch of SikhRoots.com and the rest of his new team. Its even better than Ektaone!! Heres hoping that the Wolverhampton sangat can continue to grow together and support Amanpreet Singh in this truly beautiful seva.

For anyone who hasnt visited their new website yet, its www.sikhroots.com :)

Amanpreet Singh is one of the most respected and passionate Singhs of recent times. The love for Sikhi and seva that he possesses is something quite unique. So what makes him so special? Sikhi fm and Ektaone were absolutely amazing website projects and now he is running Sikhroots Sikh website, as many others. One Gursikh created such a fantastic archive of keertan ... thousands of mp3's free for all and of the highest quality which is unseen anywhere else today. Out of his own pocket he has spent thousands of pounds to keep it running and growing. He was seen at so many programs around the world recording kirtan to upload on his website to share with others. There were live video recordings. Live streaming. Even recording all documentaries related to Sikhs from the TV to share online.

The seva does not stop there. Radio stations, free designing of posters, organising programmes, creating presentations, helping out at camps, and so much more. The seva he does still continues and for no fame, no money, nothing.

I remember when Ektaone website launched, i drew up a really large list of about 200 shabads or so i wanted from the site and emailed Aman to create me some CD's i could listen to in the car. He agreed but i didn't know it would take 30 CD's or something silly like that! I asked my brother in law to pick them up and to give him some maayaa but he wouldn't take it even after forcing it in his hand! My brother in law who wasn't into Sikhi was quite amazed that it took him so much time and effort to make the CD's yet he wouldn't accept any cash and from then on my jija ji began speaking to me more about the Sikh youth. He thought Sikhi was dying but he was proved wrong and he started going to divaans. I remember him telling me he saw Amanpreet Singh at a Sant Baba Ranjit Singh divaan and was really delighted to see him again and from then on, with thanks to Sant Baba Ranjit Singh Jee as well, hes begun to come into Sikhi and learn more about the religion. I never thought he would be the type to get into Sikhi as he was always so into his bhangra, eating meat, drinking and the rest but I'm so glad hes changed in the last year or so.

Anyway, Amanpreet Singh, a humble request to you never to stop and carry on on the righteous path. You have given moorakhs like me a fresh of breath air in life and helped put me on the path to Guru Jee through your most amazing sewa. I can never repay you but you are in my ardas every day. i know before you have requested us to remove your name and everything from this website but ShiningSikhs is nothing without your presence.

When I was coming into Sikhism in the early days of my life, I went to a lot of programmes around London, where Abinash Singh lives. I never heard of him or heard him once. But at one point in my life, when i was really down, i went to a programme with my cousin and sat right at the back because i was feeling so low. Most of the programmes done by AKJ or other groups hardly included any youth doing keertan. It was all the elders. Those that would be in my fathers generation or even my grandfathers. I dont know why, but it was like God hid this gem from my eyes and ears. All my life living down here, going to programmes etc, i never heard him but at this one particular programme i was taken back and moved. When i needed a lift, a buzz, the most, God done His grace and through this GurSikh lifted me up with some absolutely beautiful Gurbani Kirtan. I went from crying in dukh to crying in sukh.

Dass loves listening to his keertan and seeing him around all the time. He speaks with love and doesnt put any one down, which believe me, is a rare thing to find nowadays. He does keertan where and when is asked of him. Where there is a lot of divisions between groups, he does keertan at any programme organised by any group such as AKJ, AKJi, Taksaal and so forth. His beliefs are firm, strict and very pure - but he respects His Guru, and everyone else around him.

If you dont know Bhai Tarsem Singh ji, then you will most definitely know his website which he created. SikhiToTheMax is a revolutionary Gurbani Searcher website which allows Sikhs all over the world to have access to Gurbani. Theres transliteration and translations available and a brilliant search engine to search it with. Everywhere he goes, he recieves acclaim and siropas in mark of his achievements.

He's warmly welcomed at many AKJ programmes around the UK - whether he is on stage or not. He always helps where we can - online or offline. His contribution to Sikhi is great and his pyaar and shardha for others is immense.

I had always heard about Bhai Sahib ji from other people and had seen and heard is keertan. We met Bhai Sahib ji for the first time whilst attending a programme organised by some youth in the East Midlands. Afterwards, there was an amrit sanchaar organised and the panj pyaareh walked into the darbaar sahib. i looked... then i looked again. And it was Bhai Tarsem Singh ji as one of the panj. I will never forget that moment. I was in total awe of such a pyaaraa Gurmukh.

Heres some keertan from him...http://www.akj-media.com/imin/BhaiTarsemSinghJiCoventry_UKSmagam2006_ReansbaeeKeertan_10.MP3

Most of us have been brought up in a Sikh family since birth. Many of us have always had a connection somehow with the Sikh faith. Sukhmani Kaur only heard about Sikhi 10 years ago... and since then, shes become one of the finest examples of a Sikh in our midst today.

I met her in Hayes a few months ago... well, if you can call seeing and admiring her a "meeting" then its all good. There arent many female role models in Sikhism, especially in the UK. But in 10 years, penji has really come into the spotlight. Not only can sangat in London do her darshan, but thanks to her amazing blog, the whole of sangat online can meet her and share in her life experiences.

Just like you, many people from different backgrounds come into Sikhi. According to you, which is the best for them to get more knowledge about Sikhi?

"I would say that background doesn't matter, what matters is open-mindness. If person has previous baggage of whole load of stuff about casts, gender discrimination, etc; that will take a while to get rid of. But probably it still doesn't matter, because if there's a quest for Truth within ones soul, background is no more then outer shell that would be dropped, when the true identity of a Sikh (learner) will be accepted."

Shes brilliant and a role model for me as a Sikh woman and i know my partner is adoration of her talent and her role in the community.

She was also voted Sikh Youth Of The Month by UnitedSikhs.com - Click on the link below to read the full interview!